MPs demand crackdown on illegal letting as Airbnb trend sparks ‘free-for-all’

London and Westminster) and Victoria Borwick (Kensington), called for property owners to have to notify councils of the dates that their property is being used for short-letting.

Ms Buck said that Westminster council alone was investigating more than 1,100 properties believed to have breached the 90-night limit. She added: “Whilst I welcome the freedom for home-owners to let their properties... without excessive bureaucratic interference, it is difficult and expensive for cash-strapped councils to police the rules. Alongside the responsible owneroccupiers are irresponsible ones, ille- gal sub-letters and an increasingly significant commercial operation, seeking to take advantage of potentially higher yields.”

Property owners could earn £1,800 a week on average for a short-term let of a two-bedroom flat, against £620 for an assured shorthold tenancy.

The number of London properties advertised short-term on Airbnb soared by 126 per cent in the year after the 201516 Deregulation Act, says Westminster council, up from 9,663 to 21,861. Westminster saw an 80 per cent rise to 2,878, Camden 124 per cent to 1,905, Kensington & Chelsea 79 per cent to 2,130 and Southwark 139 per cent to 1,249.

Mr Field emphasised: “A free-for-all in short-term lets is causing misery for thousands of our constituents. We want the local council to have effective powers to clamp down on this.”

Ms Buck praised Airbnb for seeking to address the problem by stopping people letting out their property for more than 90 days a year through its website. But she said that unscrupulous property owners could get around such restrictions by using different sites or making minor changes to addresses such as Flat A, not Flat 1.

A Communities Department spokesman said: “It is only fair that London homeowners should be able to rent out their home for a short period without unnecessary red tape and we welcome Airbnb’s recent move to help users comply with the law.

“We are clear London landlords can let their property for a maximum of 90 nights a year without the need for planning permission, and any landlord breaching the law faces a hefty fine.”

Other MPs backing the new notification regulation include Tulip Siddiq (Hampstead and Kilburn), Jim Fitzpatrick (Poplar and Limehouse), Andy Slaughter (Hammersmith), Rushanara Ali (Bethnal Green and Bow), Ruth Cadbury (Brentford and Isleworth) and Peter Kyle (Hove). @nicholascecil